The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963)

The crooks in London know how it works. No one carries guns and no one resists the police. Then a new gang appears that go one better. They dress as police and steal from the crooks. This ... See full summary »

Director:

Cliff Owen

Writers:

Ray Galton, Alan Simpson

Stars:

Peter Sellers, Lionel Jeffries, Bernard Cribbins

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Sellers	...	Pearly Gates
Lionel Jeffries	...	Inspector Parker
Bernard Cribbins	...	Nervous O'Toole
Davy Kaye	...	Trainer King
Nanette Newman	...	Valerie
Bill Kerr	...	Jack Coombes
Ed Devereaux	...	Bluey May
Reg Lye	...	Reg Denton
John Le Mesurier	...	Assistant Commissioner
Graham Stark	...	Sid Cooper
Martin Boddey	...	Superintendent Forest
Irene Browne	...	Dowager
Arthur Mullard	...	Brassknuckles
Dermot Kelly	...	Misery Martin
Vanda Godsell	...	Annette

Storyline

The crooks in London know how it works. No one carries guns and no one resists the police. Then a new gang appears that go one better. They dress as police and steal from the crooks. This upset's the natural order of the police/criminal relationship and the police and the crooks join forces to catch the IPOs (Impersonating Police Officers), including an armored car robbery in which the police must help the gangs to set a trap.

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Plot Keywords:

police | robbery | sewing machine | reference to paul gauguin | woman wearing a grass skirt | 

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Taglines:

Meet the Mastermind Who Pulls the Strings in the Underworld...and all his mobs and dolls...filling the London fog with laughter and lunacy!!!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 1963 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Falesná ruka zákona

Filming Locations:

Battersea Fun Fair, Battersea Park, Battersea, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Romulus Films,Robert Velaise Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cast includes Lionel Jeffries, who went on to direct 'The Railway Children (1970)', and Bernard Cribbins who played a major character in that film.

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Goofs

When Inspector Parker and the other police officers arrive at Battersea Fun Fair to meet Pearly Gates, their taxis park in front of a generator lorry that was being used for lighting the scenes, and was not associated with the fun fair.

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Quotes

[Pearly Gates has arrange to meet Inspector "Nosy" Parker on a roundabout at a funfair]
Inspector Parker: [complaining] I suppose this is your idea of a joke. Battersea Funfair. Fancy having a meeting on a thing like this.
Pearly Gates: I must admit, the idea of a load of bogeys going round in circles did appeal to me, yeah.

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Connections

Featured in John Le Mesurier: It's All Been Rather Lovely (2012)

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Soundtracks

Oh Charley, Take It Away
(uncredited)
Written by Arthur Le Clerq, Frederick Malcolm and Elvin Hedges

User Reviews

Nosey Parker, Nervous O'Toole............Pearly Gates.

London's crooks are finding that no matter what job they pull, the London Constabulary are waiting to feel their collars. All of which comes as a great surprise to the police as they know nothing about it. It appears that a new firm of antipodean crooks are on the manor, who are not only stealing from London's finest thieves, they are also impersonating police officers in the process. There's only one thing for it, the constabulary and the villains must unite to restore the standard police/criminal workings in London!

The British Crime Crooks Caper, when it comes to film, is a long and distinguished list, comprising of brilliant stuff like Ask A Policeman 1938, much loved stuff like The Italian Job 1969 and enjoyable fare like Too Many Crooks 1959. The Wrong Arm Of The Law 1963 falls into the latter category, hugely enjoyable with sharp scripting and performances to match. Boosted by the considerable writing talents of Ray Galton & Alan Simpson, the picture manages to steer well clear of being overtly twee, something that Crooks In Cloisters was guilty of the following year.

The humour on show here by and large comes courtesy of the unlikely alliance between London's good and bad elements, a code and adherence to rival ethics brings about some delightful mirth. Both parties are fierce rivals but there is still unwritten rules that both sides must follow, and thankfully the astute pen scribbling from Galton & Simpson creates some smashing set pieces and quite ridiculous {in a good way} scenarios. All of which would have gone to waste if the cast did not fulfil the scripts potential, but when you got Peter Sellers, Bernard Cribbins and a quite fabulous Lionel Jeffries fronting your movie, you are definitely in good hands. The Wrong Arm Of The Law is highly recommended to anyone who loves an old fashioned British comedy. 7.5/10